The Victoria Foundation is looking for input on the state of life in the Capital Region, including the West Shore.

The organization is undertaking its 11th annual Vital Signs community checkup and is asking residents to offer their opinions on such topics as available services, important issues and the overall liveability and well-being of their communities.

The foundation uses the statistical and anecdotal information gleaned through this survey to do planning and determine where to focus its granting programs, which aim to improve quality of life.

B次元官网网址淲e use Vital Signs as a lens on the communities,B次元官网网址� said Victoria Foundation CEO Sandra Richardson, adding that 50,000 copies of the magazine-style report were distributed last year. B次元官网网址淚 would say the whole of the CRD is represented in this report.B次元官网网址�

She sees the West Shore as a particularly interesting element of this data-gathering process, given its rapid growth and changing dynamics.

With the donors to the foundation and the programs that benefit from its work both spread around the region, itB次元官网网址檚 important to hear from people across Greater Victoria, she said.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 also part of being an inclusive community,B次元官网网址� she added.

B次元官网网址淓very community has its own challenges, but weB次元官网网址檙e all part of the bigger whole.B次元官网网址�

Making the survey more inclusive is the fact residents who complete the questionnaire do so anonymously.

They can personalize their responses, however, by providing comments on topics of their choosing.

Not only does the report provide important information on which the foundation bases funding decisions, the Vital Signs publication is an interesting read for residents interested in seeing a snapshot of how their communities feel about living in the Capital Region, Richardson said.

B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檝e always wanted (it) to be that report you could pick up and read fairly easily.B次元官网网址�

To find a link to the survey, visit victoriafoundation.ca. If youB次元官网网址檇 like to participate but donB次元官网网址檛 have a computer or Internet access, call the foundation at 250-381-5532 for assistance.

editor@goldstreamgazette.com